We have the “old banger” boat in our part of Tidnish Bridge, but it gets us around in spite of appearances. Bert opens the wonderful world of going up to the head of the Tidnish River, or all the way out to the Bay.
This year, three year old Asha had her first boat ride with old Bert and she liked it. So did dog Louie. He was afraid of the water last year, so we got him a floatation device, and in he went.
Somewhere in his mixed gene pool, there must be a water dog floating around that needed a little coaxing to come out.
We’re already laid back here in Nova Scotia, but there’s a deeper, more relaxed breathing that goes on as soon as Bert gets into open waters. Looking at trees, research says, gives a calming effect like no other form of landscape. The waters here are lined with spruce and hackmatack, birch and firs. Taking in the bountiful woods that come down to the water’s edge all along the river and the Bay puts the local landscape in a special category of relaxation and our breathing shows it.
The other night we managed a ride in Bert while the tide was still high enough to maneuver the boat, and while the evening provided enough light to make it safe to travel.
We headed out to the open waters and the mystical atmosphere transformed us. We were three generations of silence in the beauty of it. Three generations and a dog, wrapped in what I now think of as Ethereal Bay.
